Planning Continues For Library's Young Adult Council

By Nancy K. Crevier

Monday, March 3, 2014

Photo: Nancy K. Crevier

From left are Booth Library YAC members Hailey Pankow, Maya Welber and Caroline Palmer, discussing ideas for the upcoming Battle of the Books, and ways to raise funds to support the Young Adult Department.

Photo: Nancy K. Crevier

Samantha Kohler, far right, art teacher at St Rose and muralist, points to the wall in the Young Adult section of the C.H. Booth Library that will be painted with a mural. Young Adult Council (YAC) members, from left, Maya Welber, Caroline Palmer, and Hailey Pankow offer suggestions, while YAC advisor Kim Weber looks on.

Although displaced from the regular meeting space in the C.H. Booth Library since the beginning of the year, when flooding disrupted business at the facility, the Young Adult Council (YAC) has continued to meet regularly at other sites. The group is made up of young people in grades six and up, and is dedicated to promoting programs and raising funds to benefit the Young Adult Department of the C.H. Booth Library, under the guidance of YA Librarian Kim Weber.

On Monday, February 24, YAC returned to its normal meeting place on the second floor of the library, and continued planning for upcoming activities. High on the list was getting out information on the annual Battle of the Books, a trivia-based challenge in which several teams answer questions “Jeopardy-style,” based on four young adult books each has read. The event usually takes place in March, but because the library has been closed for repairs, the Battle of the Books has been moved to April 5.

A mural that had decorated one large wall in the YA section was painted over during recent renovations, so on Monday, three YAC members discussed with St Rose art teacher Samantha Kohler new ideas for an updated painting on the wall.

“We have a lot of different ideas,” said Ms Weber, “and I’m really proud of these girls for being the ones to have invited Ms Kohler to our meeting today.”

In addition to planning the Battle of the Books event, Hailey Pankow, 12, Caroline Palmer, 11, and Maya Welber, 11, all Battle team captains, threw out other ideas for activities. A party to celebrate the release of the movie Divergent, based on the YA novel of the same name by Veronica Roth, and an overnight lock-in at the library during the summer were two ideas that came up.

The girls also discussed ways to raise money to support the YA department.

“I went to our principal at St Rose School [Mary Maloney], and asked her if we could do a fundraiser there,” said Maya. Caroline, also a St Rose student, said that when the school has a dress-down day, allowing students to set aside the required school uniforms for the day, those wishing to take part pay a fee. At the recent dress down day organized by Maya, $483 was collected and given to the Young Adult Department of the C.H. Booth Library.

Another $300 was raised through the efforts of another YAC member, Nicole Palmeri, through her Girl Scout Troop. Nicole raised those funds to purchase new books for the YA Department, said Ms Weber.

To find out more about YAC, or to join, contact Ms Weber at 203-426-4533 or at chbya@biblio.org, after the library reopens on Saturday, March 8. The YAC meeting schedule can be found on the library’s website.